Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore barriers and opportunities for business
models based on the ideas of collaborative consumption within the fashion industry.
Design/methodology/approach: The analysis is based on a multiple-­‐‑case study of
Scandinavian fashion libraries – a new, clothes-­‐‑sharing concept that has emerged as a
fashion niche within the last decade.
Findings: It is concluded that fashion libraries offers interesting perspectives, e.g. by
allowing people to experiment with styles without having to pay the full cost and
becoming a meeting place for young designers and end consumers. However, at present
fashion libraries remain a small-­‐‑scale phenomenon with difficulties reaching the
mainstream market, not least due to limited financial and human resources as well as
conventional fashion consumption patterns.
Research limitations/implications: The study is limited to the new phenomenon of fashion
libraries and does not cover other types of collaborative consumption within the fashion
industry (Swap-­‐‑parties, etc.).
Originality/value: The paper is one of the first attempts to examine new business models of
collaborative consumption in general and the fashion library concept in particular. The
study contributes to the discussions of whether and how fashion sharing and collaboration
holds promise as a viable business model and as a means to promote sustainability.